Department for Work and Pensions

Local Housing Allowance

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2021 to Question 79262 on Local Housing Allowance, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Equality Impact Assessment that was carried out by her Department on freezing local housing allowance rates at 2020-21 levels for financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23.

David Rutley: A copy of Equalities Analyses 2021-22 and 2022-23 will be placed in the Library. In April 2020 we increased LHA rates to the 30th percentile of local rents, costing nearly £1 billion providing 1.5 million claimants with £600 more housing support on average over 2020-21 than they would otherwise have received. LHA rates have been maintained at their increased levels in 2021-22 and 2022-23, so that everyone who benefitted from the increase will continue to do so.

Household Support Fund

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Household Support Fund, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there is (a) maximum flexibility and (b) timely sharing of details on allocations to assist local authorities in making sure funding reaches people in need of support.

David Rutley: Indicative allocations for the Household Support Fund extension have been shared with Local Authorities. These indicative allocations are the same amount as for the previous 6 months of the Household Support Fund. Local Authorities will have discretion on exactly how this funding is used within the scope set out in the fund guidance and the accompanying grant determination.

Department for Work and Pensions: Written Questions

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to answer Question 120618, tabled on 8 February 2022, on Local Housing Allowance, requesting that a copy of the Equality Impact Assessment for the freeze on Local Housing Allowance rates be placed in the House of Commons Library.

David Rutley: A copy of Equalities Analyses 2021-22 and 2022-23 will be placed in the Library. In April 2020 we increased LHA rates to the 30th percentile of local rents, costing nearly £1 billion providing 1.5 million claimants with £600 more housing support on average over 2020-21 than they would otherwise have received. LHA rates have been maintained at their increased levels in 2021-22 and 2022-23, so that everyone who benefitted from the increase will continue to do so.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made on the implementation of the new annual prepayment certificate for hormone replacement therapy products; for what reason implementation will take a further 12 months; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that the target implementation date of April 2023 is met.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 29 October 2021, Official Report, column 538, what progress he has made on reducing the costs of repeatable prescriptions for HRT for women experiencing menopausal symptoms.

Maria Caulfield: Subject to consultation with relevant professional bodies, we will deliver the cost reduction through a bespoke pre-payment certificate (PPC) for hormone replacement therapy. As a PPC usually applies to all medicines on National Health Service prescriptions, we are working with the NHS Business Services Authority to implement a solution as soon as possible.

Menopause: Health Services

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has write to healthcare professionals to remind them of the NICE guidelines for menopause care and the ability to prescribe twelve months supply on one prescription; and what his timetable is for doing that.

Maria Caulfield: The Department is in discussions with the Royal College of General Practitioners and other stakeholders on communications to healthcare professionals on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines for menopause care.NICE’s guideline recommends that each treatment for short-term menopausal symptoms should be reviewed at three months to assess efficacy and tolerability and annually thereafter, unless there are clinical indications for an earlier review. NICE does not make recommendations on length of prescription as this is a clinical decision. However, NHS England and NHS Improvement advise that general practitioners can prescribe up to 12 month’s supply, where clinically appropriate.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Prescriptions

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timetable is for implementing longer prescribing cycles for hormone replacement therapy prescriptions.

Maria Caulfield: We are currently focusing on the implementation of reduced hormone replacement prescription costs therefore there is no current timeline for the implementation of longer prescribing cycles.

Breast Cancer: Greater London

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the breast cancer care backlog in London.

Maria Caulfield: In London, the national ‘Help us to Help You’ campaigns have been promoted and included local initiatives, which has increased number of referrals. Mutual aid is being provided between providers in London, initially within local clinical commissioning group area and with other London providers where this is not available. This allows faster access to first outpatient appointments with clinical assessment where waiting times are shorter.Due to the nature of treatments for breast cancer where surgery is often a day case, this pathway has continued more consistently. Those on breast cancer pathways waiting longer than 62 days currently represent approximately 10% of all pathways and continues to decrease.Levels of first treatments remain high, with 130 more breast cancers treated through the urgent general practitioner route compared to pre-pandemic levels and we anticipate that some patients will have been referred via screening.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to meet representatives from the pharmaceutical supply companies to discuss availability issues with hormone replacement therapy products; and when those meetings are scheduled to take place.

Maria Caulfield: The Department regularly discusses the supply of human replacement therapy products with pharmaceutical companies and trade bodies. On 31 March 2022, I met with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and the British Generic Manufacturers Association to discuss the availability of these products.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2022 to Question 128227, how much his Department has spent on lateral flow tests since March 2020; and how many lateral flow tests have been sent out to the public or used in healthcare settings since that date.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency is unable to provide the information requested on expenditure on lateral flow device tests as it is commercially sensitive. The number of lateral flow device tests issued to the public or used in healthcare settings since March 2020 is currently being collated and validated and will be published in due course.

Coronavirus: Screening

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS spent on covid-19 tests for staff in 2020-21.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has delivered and funded COVID-19 testing for National Health Service staff in England. In 2020/21, the UKHSA’s expenditure on testing for staff was £884 million. This includes the procurement, distribution and resourcing costs of lateral flow device and LAMP testing but excludes the costs of polymerase chain reaction testing.